Bioptic reader assembly with video upgrade module

ABSTRACT

A bioptic reader assembly includes a scale assembly, bioptic barcode reader, and video upgrade module. The scale assembly includes a support frame and a platter and has a width that is less than or equal to 11½ inches. The bioptic barcode reader is mounted to the support frame and includes a lower housing portion positioned below the platter, an upper housing portion extending above the lower housing portion and the platter, and a camera. The video upgrade module is operatively connected to the bioptic barcode reader, is in communication with the camera, and is configured to process and interpret images received from the camera. The video upgrade module is positioned within the width of the scale assembly and within a height defined from a top surface of the platter to a bottom of the lower housing portion, which is preferably less than or equal to 4 inches.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/832,553, filed on Mar. 19, 2020, and incorporated herein by referencein its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

At least some embodiment of the present disclosure relate generally tobarcode reader assemblies and, in particular, to barcode readers havingvideo upgrade modules.

BACKGROUND

Bioptic reader assemblies for use at a point-of-sale typically include ascale assembly for use in weighing products and a barcode reader, suchas a bioptic barcode reader, installed with the scale assembly forreading and decoding barcodes displayed on products. In addition tobeing able to scan product barcodes and weigh products, it could also bebeneficial in certain applications for the bioptic reader assembly tohave a machine vision capable camera that can be used for objectrecognition, anti-shrink applications, etc.

However, to use a camera for object recognition, anti-shrinkapplications, etc., a processing module is required, which must bemounted somewhere, such as underneath a counter or within a compactself-checkout counter, and all of the wires that pass between theprocessing module and the barcode reader must be managed. However,typical bioptic reader assemblies do not have the space within thebioptic reader assembly for the required processing module and routingof the required cables.

SUMMARY

In an embodiment, the present invention is a bioptic reader assemblycomprising a scale assembly, a bioptic barcode reader, and a videoupgrade module. The scale assembly includes a support frame and aplatter mounted to the support frame and has a width that is less thanor equal to 11½ inches. The bioptic barcode reader is mounted to thesupport frame of the scale assembly and includes a housing having alower housing portion positioned below the platter and an upper housingportion extending above the lower housing portion and above the platter,a set of optical components positioned within the housing, and a camera.The video upgrade module is positioned within the width of the scaleassembly and within a height defined from a top surface of the platterto a bottom of the lower housing portion, the height being less than orequal to 4 inches, and is operatively connected to the bioptic barcodereader and in communication with the camera. The video upgrade moduleconfigured to process and interpret images received from the camera.

In another embodiment, the present invention is a method of integratinga video upgrade module into a bioptic reader assembly having a scaleassembly and a bioptic barcode reader, the method comprising the stepsof: positioning the video upgrade module within the bioptic readerassembly between the bioptic barcode reader and a support structure ofthe scale assembly, the video upgrade module positioned within a widthof the scale assembly and within a height defined from a top surface ofa platter of the scale assembly to a bottom of a housing of the biopticbarcode reader, the width being less than or equal to 11½ inches and theheight being less than or equal to 4 inches; securing the video upgrademodule to the bioptic reader assembly; and operatively connecting thevideo upgrade module to the bioptic barcode reader.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer toidentical or functionally similar elements throughout the separateviews, together with the detailed description below, are incorporated inand form part of the specification, and serve to further illustrateembodiments of concepts that include the claimed examples, and explainvarious principles and advantages of those embodiments.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an example bioptic readerassembly;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the bioptic reader assembly ofFIG. 1 with the platter removed;

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of the bioptic barcode reader ofthe bioptic reader assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of the bioptic reader assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of the bioptic reader assembly of FIG. 1with an alternative camera arrangement;

FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the bioptic reader assemblyof FIG. 1 taken along line A-A of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 illustrates a bottom view of the bioptic reader assembly of FIG.1;

FIG. 8 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the bioptic reader assemblyof FIG. 1 taken along line A-A of FIG. 4 with an alternative videoupgrade module position;

FIG. 9 illustrates a bottom view of the bioptic reader assembly of FIG.1 with the alternative video upgrade module position of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the bioptic readerassembly of FIG. 1 taken along line A-A of FIG. 4 with anotheralternative video upgrade module position; and

FIG. 11 illustrates a bottom view of the bioptic reader assembly of FIG.1 with the alternative video upgrade module position of FIG. 10.

The apparatus and method components have been represented whereappropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only thosespecific details that are pertinent to understanding the disclosedexamples so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will bereadily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having thebenefit of the description herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The examples disclosed herein relate to bioptic reader assemblies thatinclude video upgrade modules that can be used to receive images from acamera of a bioptic barcode reader and process and interpret the images,for example through one or more of object recognition, video monitoringfor retail loss prevention, convolutional neural network capabilities,gesture recognition, video feed capabilities, and optical characterrecognition. In the examples shown, the video upgrade modules areexternal modules and are integrated within the bioptic reader assemblyeither within the footprint of the bioptic barcode reader or within openareas between the bioptic barcode reader and a scale assembly supportstructure of the bioptic reader assembly.

Referring to FIGS. 1-2, an example bioptic reader assembly 10 is shownthat generally includes a scale assembly 100, a bioptic barcode reader200 mounted within scale assembly 100, and an external video upgrademodule 300 operatively connected to bioptic barcode reader 200.

Scale assembly 100 includes a support structure 105, which has a sheetmetal frame 115 and a scale support rail 120, and load cells 135. Aplatter 125 is mounted to support structure 105, is supported by loadcells 135, and is used to weigh an object that is placed on platter 125.In the example shown, scale assembly 100 has a width W1 that is lessthan or equal to 11½ inches.

Bioptic barcode reader 200 is mounted to support structure 105 andincludes a housing 205 having a lower housing portion 210 positionedwithin scale assembly 100 and below platter 125 and an upper housingportion 220 extending above lower housing portion 210 and above platter125. Upper housing portion 220 includes a generally upright window 245and lower housing portion 210 includes a generally horizontal window250. In the example shown, housing 205 preferably has a width W2 that isgreater than or equal to 5 inches and less than or equal to 7 inches,lower housing portion 210 has a height H1 that is greater than or equalto 3 inches, and upper housing portion 220 has a height H2 that isgreater than or equal to 4 inches and less than or equal to 6 inches,which provides a smaller footprint than typical bioptic barcode readers.

A set of optical components 225, such as mirrors, and a camera 230 arepositioned within housing 205. Camera 230, which is preferably a 2megapixel color camera, can be a dedicated camera for use by videoupgrade module 300 or can be a camera already used in bioptic barcodereader 200 such that camera 230 is the only camera in bioptic barcodereader 200 and is configured to capture barcode images for decoding andto capture images for video processing by video upgrade module 300.

Video upgrade module 300 is operatively connected to bioptic barcodereader 200, for example through cable 305, and is in communication withcamera 230 and is configured to receive images from camera 230 andprocess and interpret the images, for example through one or more ofobject recognition, video monitoring for retail loss prevention,convolutional neural network capabilities, gesture recognition, videofeed capabilities, and optical character recognition. Video upgrademodule 300 can have its own dedicated housing, or could be a printedcircuit board that is mounted to housing 205 of bioptic barcode reader200 and/or support structure 105 with a cover that seals the printedcircuit board and is positioned within width W1 of scale assembly 100and within a height H3 that is defined from a top surface 130 of platter125 to a bottom 215 of lower housing portion 210, which is preferablyless than or equal to 4 inches.

As shown in FIGS. 6-7, video upgrade module 300 can be positioned withinan external pocket 235 defined in housing 205 of bioptic barcode reader200 and secured to housing 205, for example by bolting or snapping videoupgrade module 300 into place. In this example, video upgrade module 300will fit completely within width W2 of housing 205 of bioptic barcodereader 200, such that bioptic barcode reader 200 and video upgrademodule 300 can be inserted into and removed from support structure 105of scale assembly 100 as a single unit, making installation and repaireasier. With video upgrade module 300 positioned within pocket 235,cable 305 can be routed through a recess 240 formed in housing 205 ofbioptic barcode reader 200, which simplifies cable guidance.

To integrate video upgrade module 300 into bioptic reader assembly 10 asshown in FIGS. 6-7, video upgrade module 300 is positioned withinexternal pocket 235 in housing 205 of bioptic barcode reader 200 andsecured to housing 205 of bioptic barcode reader 200. Preferably, whenpositioned in pocket 235, video upgrade module 300 does not extend pastany exterior surfaces of housing 205. Bioptic barcode reader 200 andvideo upgrade module 300 are then inserted into support structure 105 ofscale assembly 100 as a single unit so that video upgrade module ispositioned between bioptic barcode reader 200 and support structure 105of scale assembly 100 and within width W1 and height H3. Video upgrademodule 300 is also operatively connected to bioptic barcode reader 200via cable 305, which is routed with recess 240 in housing 205 of biopticbarcode reader 200.

Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 8-9, external pocket 235 in housing 205of bioptic barcode reader 200 is not required and video upgrade module300 can be positioned between housing 205 of bioptic barcode reader 200and support structure 105 and secured to support structure 105 orhousing 205, again by any appropriate method such as bolting or snappingvideo upgrade module 300 into place. With video upgrade module 300positioned between housing 205 and support structure 105, cable 305 canbe routed within support structure 105, for example, between sheet metalframe 115 and scale support rail 120.

To integrate video upgrade module 300 into bioptic reader assembly 10 asshown in FIGS. 8-9, bioptic barcode reader 200 is inserted into andsecured to support structure 105 of scale assembly 100 and video upgrademodule 300 is positioned within bioptic reader assembly 10 betweenbioptic barcode reader 200 and support structure 105 of scale assembly100 and within width W1 and height H3, for example, by inserting videoupgrade module 300 through bottom 110 of support structure 105. Oncepositioned, video upgrade module is secured to support structure 105 orto housing 205. Video upgrade module 300 is also operatively connectedto bioptic barcode reader 200 via cable 305, which is routed withinsupport structure 105, for example, between sheet metal frame 115 andscale support rail 120.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 10-11, video upgrade module 300 can bepositioned within an external pocket 235 defined in housing 205 ofbioptic barcode reader 200 and extend outward into support structure105. In this example, video upgrade module 300 can be secured to eitherhousing 205 or support structure 105, for example by bolting or snappingvideo upgrade module 300 into place. Positioning video upgrade module300 in this manner allows for the use of a larger module, if required.With video upgrade module 300 positioned as shown, cable 305 can berouted through a recess 240 formed in housing 205 of bioptic barcodereader 200, which simplifies cable guidance.

To integrate video upgrade module 300 into bioptic reader assembly 10 asshown in FIGS. 10-11, bioptic barcode reader 200 is inserted into andsecured to support structure 105 of scale assembly 100 and video upgrademodule 300 is positioned between bioptic barcode reader 200 and supportstructure 105 of scale assembly 100 and within width W1 and height H3,for example, by inserting video upgrade module 300 through bottom 110 ofsupport structure 105. Once positioned, video upgrade module is securedto support structure 105 or to housing 205. Video upgrade module 300 isalso operatively connected to bioptic barcode reader 200 via cable 305,which is routed with recess 240 in housing 205 of bioptic barcode reader200.

In the foregoing specification, specific embodiments have beendescribed. However, one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates thatvarious modifications and changes can be made without departing from thescope of the invention as set forth in the claims below. Accordingly,the specification and figures are to be regarded in an illustrativerather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intendedto be included within the scope of present teachings. Additionally, thedescribed embodiments/examples/implementations should not be interpretedas mutually exclusive, and should instead be understood as potentiallycombinable if such combinations are permissive in any way. In otherwords, any feature disclosed in any of the aforementionedembodiments/examples/implementations may be included in any of the otheraforementioned embodiments/examples/implementations. Moreover, no stepsof any method disclosed herein shall be understood to have any specificorder unless it is expressly stated that no other order is possible orrequired by the remaining steps of the respective method. Also, at leastsome of the figures may or may not be drawn to scale.

The benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) thatmay cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become morepronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essentialfeatures or elements of any or all the claims. The legal scope of theproperty right is defined solely by the appended claims including anyamendments made during the pendency of this application and allequivalents of those claims as issued.

Moreover, in this document, relational terms such as first and second,top and bottom, and the like may be used solely to distinguish oneentity or action from another entity or action without necessarilyrequiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between suchentities or actions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “has”,“having,” “includes”, “including,” “contains”, “containing” or any othervariation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, suchthat a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises, has,includes, contains a list of elements does not include only thoseelements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherentto such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded by“comprises . . . a”, “has . . . a”, “includes . . . a”, “contains . . .a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence ofadditional identical elements in the process, method, article, orapparatus that comprises, has, includes, contains the element. The terms“a” and “an” are defined as one or more unless explicitly statedotherwise herein. The terms “substantially”, “essentially”,“approximately”, “about” or any other version thereof, are defined asbeing close to as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, and inone non-limiting embodiment the term is defined to be within 10%, inanother embodiment within 5%, in another embodiment within 1% and inanother embodiment within 0.5%. The term “coupled” as used herein isdefined as connected, although not necessarily directly and notnecessarily mechanically. A device or structure that is “configured” ina certain way is configured in at least that way, but may also beconfigured in ways that are not listed.

It will be appreciated that some embodiments may be comprised of one ormore generic or specialized processors (or “processing devices”) such asmicroprocessors, digital signal processors, customized processors andfield programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and unique stored programinstructions (including both software and firmware) that control the oneor more processors to implement, in conjunction with certainnon-processor circuits, some, most, or all of the functions of themethod and/or apparatus described herein. Alternatively, some or allfunctions could be implemented by a state machine that has no storedprogram instructions, or in one or more application specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), in which each function or some combinations of certainof the functions are implemented as custom logic. Of course, acombination of the two approaches could be used.

Moreover, an embodiment can be implemented as a computer-readablestorage medium having computer readable code stored thereon forprogramming a computer (e.g., comprising a processor) to perform amethod as described and claimed herein. Examples of suchcomputer-readable storage mediums include, but are not limited to, ahard disk, a CD-ROM, an optical storage device, a magnetic storagedevice, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a PROM (Programmable Read OnlyMemory), an EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), an EEPROM(Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) and a Flashmemory. Further, it is expected that one of ordinary skill,notwithstanding possibly significant effort and many design choicesmotivated by, for example, available time, current technology, andeconomic considerations, when guided by the concepts and principlesdisclosed herein will be readily capable of generating such softwareinstructions and programs and ICs with minimal experimentation.

The patent claims at the end of this patent application are not intendedto be construed under 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) unless traditionalmeans-plus-function language is expressly recited, such as “means for”or “step for” language being explicitly recited in the claim(s).

The Abstract is provided to allow the reader to quickly ascertain thenature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with theunderstanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scopeor meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing DetailedDescription, it can be seen that various features are grouped togetherin various embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure.This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting anintention that the claimed embodiments require more features than areexpressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claimsreflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of asingle disclosed embodiment. Thus the following claims are herebyincorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing onits own as a separately claimed subject matter.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A bioptic reader assembly, comprising: ascale assembly including a support frame and a platter mounted to thesupport frame, the scale assembly having a width; a bioptic barcodereader mounted to the support frame of the scale assembly, the biopticbarcode reader including a housing having a lower housing portionpositioned below the platter and an upper housing portion extendingabove the lower housing portion and above the platter, a set of opticalcomponents positioned within the housing, and a camera; and a videoupgrade module operatively connected to the bioptic barcode reader andin communication with the camera, the video upgrade module configured toprocess and interpret images received from the camera; wherein the videoupgrade module is positioned within the width of the scale assembly andwithin a height defined from a top surface of the platter to a bottom ofthe lower housing portion.
 2. The bioptic reader assembly of claim 1,wherein the housing of the bioptic barcode reader defines an externalpocket and the video upgrade module is positioned within the pocket andsecured to the housing.
 3. The bioptic reader assembly of claim 2,wherein the bioptic barcode reader and the video upgrade module can beremoved from the support structure of the scale assembly as a singleunit.
 4. The bioptic reader assembly of claim 1, wherein the videoupgrade module is positioned between the housing of the bioptic barcodereader and the support structure and is secured to the supportstructure.
 5. The bioptic reader assembly of claim 1, wherein the camerais a 2 megapixel color camera.
 6. The bioptic reader assembly of claim1, wherein the camera is the only camera in the bioptic barcode readerand the camera is configured to capture barcode images for decoding andconfigured to capture images for video processing by the video upgrademodule.
 7. The bioptic reader assembly of claim 1, wherein the videoupgrade module is configured for one or more of object recognition,video monitoring for retail loss prevention, convolutional neuralnetwork capabilities, gesture recognition, video feed capabilities, andoptical character recognition.
 8. The bioptic reader assembly of claim1, wherein the video upgrade module is operatively connected to thebioptic barcode reader via a cable that is routed within the supportstructure.
 9. The bioptic reader assembly of claim 8, wherein the cableis routed between a sheet metal frame of the support structure and ascale support rail of the support structure.
 10. The bioptic readerassembly of claim 1, wherein the video upgrade module is operativelyconnected to the bioptic barcode reader via a cable that is routedthrough a recess in the housing of the bioptic barcode reader.
 11. Thebioptic reader assembly of claim 1, wherein: the housing has a widththat is greater than or equal to 5 inches and less than or equal to 7inches; the lower housing portion has a height that is greater than orequal to 3 inches; and the upper housing portion has a height that isgreater than or equal to 4 inches and less than or equal to 6 inches.12. A method of integrating a video upgrade module into a bioptic readerassembly having scale assembly and a bioptic barcode reader, the methodcomprising the steps of: positioning the video upgrade module within thebioptic reader assembly between the bioptic barcode reader and a supportstructure of the scale assembly, the video upgrade module positionedwithin a width of the scale assembly and within a height defined from atop surface of a platter of the scale assembly to a bottom of a housingof the bioptic barcode reader; securing the video upgrade module to thebioptic reader assembly; and operatively connecting the video upgrademodule to the bioptic barcode reader.
 13. The method of claim 12,wherein the housing of the bioptic barcode reader defines an externalpocket and the video upgrade module is positioned within the pocket andsecured to the housing.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the biopticbarcode reader and the video upgrade module are inserted into thesupport structure of the scale assembly as a single unit.
 15. The methodof claim 12, wherein the video upgrade module is inserted through abottom of the support structure and secured to the support structure.16. The method of claim 12, wherein the video upgrade module isconfigured for one or more of object recognition, video monitoring forretail loss prevention, convolutional neural network capabilities,gesture recognition, video feed capabilities, and optical characterrecognition.
 17. The method of claim 12, wherein the video upgrademodule is operatively connected to the bioptic barcode reader via acable that is routed within the support structure.
 18. The method ofclaim 17, comprising routing the cable between a sheet metal frame ofthe support structure and a scale support rail of the support structure.19. The method of claim 12, wherein the video upgrade module isoperatively connected to the bioptic barcode reader via a cable that isrouted within a recess defined in the housing of the bioptic barcodereader.
 20. The method of claim 12, wherein: the housing has a widththat is greater than or equal to 5 inches and less than or equal to 7inches; the lower housing portion has a height that is greater than orequal to 3 inches; and the upper housing portion has a height that isgreater than or equal to 4 inches and less than or equal to 6 inches.